# What sport would you like to see added to the Olympics? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [August 2, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901 "2021-08-02T22:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/121 "2023-08-24T06:19:22Z")
I envision my winter pentathlon as an individual event. Curling is always played by teams (4 players in traditional curling, 2 in mixed doubled). Same problem with hockey. There’s also figure skating, but I didn’t want to include a judged event among the others that are purely objective. That’s another strike against ski jumping. That also eliminates events like halfpipe snowboarding. The decathlon and heptathlon are a mix of events that favor sprinting, endurance, and technique. That’s the model I’m trying to follow. There is a one-person bobsled event (called monobob) that may be a better choice than luge for a sliding event. I envision that speed skating as a sprint, like 500 meters, and the final event would be something like 3,000 or 5,000 meter cross-country skiing. I don’t know what the chances are that this could ever happen. Even if they could settle on what events to include, it might be tough to schedule. One of the hallmarks of the decathlon and pentathlon are that they take place over only 2 days. I don’t know if they could shoehorn something like that into the current schedule. It’s possible that the sliding track or skating oval are already fully booked over the 16 days of a winter olympics. Still, I like the idea. Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate how difficult some of these sports are until you see someone do them who isn’t one of the best in the world. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/122 "2023-08-30T04:41:53Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > I’d like to see a decathlon type multi-sport event spanning the whole of individual games, not just track and field. Swimming and diving, weightlifting and gymnastics, archery and rowing, etc. I actually think it would be really neat to have a cross-event relay race… runner tags swimmer who tags rower who tags sail-er who tags biker etc. More as an exhibition than anything else, probably, but it could be a neat way to put a bow on the entire olympics. You could mix in some team sports skills as well… runner runs in and tags a basketball player, who then has to make 30 three point shots as fast as possible, at which point they tag someone else, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/123 "2023-08-30T05:50:58Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > I actually think it would be really neat to have a cross-event relay race… runner tags swimmer who tags rower who tags sail-er who tags biker etc. An interesting idea, but the venues for different sports are often many miles apart. ---
**Author:** ![Tierce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/124 "2023-08-30T05:51:09Z")
Synchronized Equestrian Diving. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/125 "2023-08-30T17:12:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > An interesting idea, but the venues for different sports are often many miles apart. I mean, it would take some logistics… biking and long-distance running to connect more widely spread areas… ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/126 "2023-08-30T19:16:44Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think a baseball diamond is pretty specific to that sport. What else can it be used for? And lots of sports require special facilities, like a velodrome for track cycling events, or those waterways used for kayaking and canoeing slalom (though those look like they would be fun to use recreationally). The 1996 Summer Olympics track & field events were held in what became a baseball stadium (Turner Field). Softball, on the other hand, does pose the “what do you do with the stadium” problem, which is why it (and baseball) were removed, although they were (temporarily) brought back for Tokyo, where they “solved” the softball problem by playing it inside the baseball stadiums, which meant, among other things, that there was no dirt anywhere near second base. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > There is the modern pentathlon, which combines fencing, swimming, equestrian, running, and pistol shooting. Not after the next Olympics; there were too many “incidents” involving the handling of horses (in modern pentathlon, each rider is assigned a random horse), so equestrian is being replaced with obstacle coursing (aka Ninja Warrior racing, especially as the “warped wall” is considered one of the acceptable obstacles). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/127 "2023-08-30T19:39:06Z")
Googling, the kind of equestrian event in modern pentathlon is show jumping, which is a ridiculous rich people kind of “sport”. So I’m glad it’s being replaced. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/128 "2023-08-30T20:27:18Z")
Chess. Most people are surprised to learn that since 1999, the IOC recognizes it as a sport, but it has never yet been an Olympic sport. The 24-hour run, which is admittedly not the most fascinating sport to watch live. The men’s individual [world record is nearly 200 miles.](https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a41283472/aleksandr-sorokin-breaks-24-hour-world-record/). There’s also a 24-hour walk, but even I wouldn’t watch that. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/129 "2023-08-30T20:30:03Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > …especially as the “warped wall” is considered one of the acceptable obstacles Isn’t that going to be even harder on the horses? > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Googling, the kind of equestrian event in modern pentathlon is show jumping, which is a ridiculous rich people kind of “sport”. So I’m glad it’s being replaced. One of the riders on the U.S. team at the last Olympics was the daughter of rich, elitist Bruce Springsteen. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/130 "2023-08-30T20:33:29Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > The 24-hour run, which is admittedly not the most fascinating sport to watch live. The men’s individual [world record is nearly 200 miles.](https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a41283472/aleksandr-sorokin-breaks-24-hour-world-record/). There’s also a 24-hour walk, but even I wouldn’t watch that. Layabouts. > **[Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Transcendence_3100_Mile_Race)** > > The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race is the world's longest certified footrace. In 1996 Sri Chinmoy created this event as a 2,700-mile (4,345 km) race. At the award ceremony that year he declared that the 1997 edition would be extended to 3,100 miles (4,989 km). > This race, which lasts several weeks, is hosted by the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team and takes place every summer in Queens, New York, United States. The course is 3,100 miles (4,989 km) long. Runners negotiate 5,649 laps of one extended ci... ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/131 "2023-08-30T20:33:44Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > The 24-hour run, which is admittedly not the most fascinating sport to watch live. The men’s individual [world record is nearly 200 miles.](https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a41283472/aleksandr-sorokin-breaks-24-hour-world-record/). There’s also a 24-hour walk, but even I wouldn’t watch that. I posted earlier in the thread that it’d be cool to see trailrunning/ultramarathoning added to the Games. The problem with this, as well as other extreme sports like the 24-hour run, is that there are no national or international federations overseeing these sports, which is one of the requirements of an Olympic event. > [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Layabouts. > > [Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Transcendence_3100_Mile_Race) What, just running laps around a city block? Pff. Still not as tough as the [Barkley Marathons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barkley_Marathons), imo. Or the [Marathon des Sables.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_des_Sables) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2023, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/132 "2023-08-30T20:51:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > Googling, the kind of equestrian event in modern pentathlon is show jumping, which is a ridiculous rich people kind of “sport”. So I’m glad it’s being replaced. > > One of the riders on the U.S. team at the last Olympics was the daughter of rich, elitist Bruce Springsteen. Another one is Jennifer Gates (daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates). ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/133 "2023-08-31T10:25:32Z")
Princess Anne (UK) rode in the 1976 Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/134 "2023-08-31T10:29:11Z")
…and was the only female athlete exempted from the obligatory sex-test. (pointless trivia I just remembered) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/135 "2023-08-31T16:45:12Z")
How good do they have to be at it? ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/136 "2023-08-31T16:49:18Z")
You’re joking, but I don’t know how they actually did it in 1976 (or how they do it today), maybe by having to show their bare crotch to a doctor. Those were different times… ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/137 "2023-08-31T18:41:18Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > You’re joking, but I don’t know how they actually did it in 1976 (or how they do it today), maybe by having to show their bare crotch to a doctor. Those were different times… Originally, that’s pretty much what you had to do. In 1976, they were able to do DNA testing from a cheek swab (I vaguely remember a _60 Minutes_ story about it), although there have been instances of people born with male characteristics but no Y chromosome. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/138 "2023-08-31T18:48:33Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > > [@bibliophage](#): > > > > The 24-hour run, which is admittedly not the most fascinating sport to watch live. The men’s individual [world record is nearly 200 miles.](https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a41283472/aleksandr-sorokin-breaks-24-hour-world-record/). There’s also a 24-hour walk, but even I wouldn’t watch that. > > I posted earlier in the thread that it’d be cool to see trailrunning/ultramarathoning added to the Games. The problem with this, as well as other extreme sports like the 24-hour run, is that there are no national or international federations overseeing these sports, which is one of the requirements of an Olympic event. World Athletics has regulations for mountain/trail running, albeit with this caveat: _“There are extreme variations in conditions in which Cross Country Running, Mountain Running and Trail Running are practised throughout the world and it is difficult to legislate international standardisation of these events. It must be accepted that the difference between very successful and unsuccessful events often lies in the natural characteristics of the venue and the abilities of the course designer. The following Rules are intended as a guide and incentive to assist Members to develop Cross Country Running, Mountain Running and Trail Running.”_ ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/139 "2023-08-31T18:56:18Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Originally, that’s pretty much what you had to do. It’s disgusting and dehumanizing if you think about it. I hope (and I’m quite sure) that they do it by DNA testing nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901/140 "2023-08-31T19:18:11Z")
…and her daughter Zara competed in the 2012 Olympics winning a silver medal in team eventing. I don’t know if she was exempted from the sex test though. In any case I’m not sure it matters given that equestrian events are all mixed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sport-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-the-olympics/947901.md?page=8)